Oscillating steam engine

ABSTRACT

An oscillating steam engine has a frame including a valve plate with opposite planar faces arranged vertically and normal to the engine crank shaft. A first cylinder incorporates a plate having flanges outstanding therefrom and defining a planar face adapted to abut the valve plate. A pivot connection near its center joins the cylinder to the frame plate. The cylinder houses a reciprocating piston on a piston rod extending to a crank on the crank shaft. The cylinder is held against the valve plate by a holding yoke extending from the frame around a cylinder plate flange and carrying a roller abutting an outer face on the cylinder plate flange. Preferably, a second cylinder and appurtenances duplicate the first cylinder arrangement, the holding yoke being symmetrically extended to balance forces on the frame and preferably being repeated above the below the pivot connection. A mechanism similar to a Stephenson link connects a throttling and reversing valve in a steam supply and conduit.

United States Patent 1 1 Blackney 1Marcl1 13, 1973 [54] OSCILLATING STEAM ENGINE Raymond Blackney, 3105 Merrywood Drive, Sacramento, Calif.

22 Filed: Dec. 16, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 208,830

[76] Inventor:

Primary Examiner--Paul E. Maslousky Attorney-Marcus Lothrop et al.

[57] ABSTRACT An oscillating steam engine has a frame including a valve plate with opposite planar faces arranged vertically and normal to the engine crank shaft. A first cylinder incorporates a plate having flanges outstanding therefrom and defining a planar face adapted to abut the valve plate. A pivot connection near its center joins the cylinder to the frame plate. The cylinder houses a reciprocating piston on a piston rod extending to a crank on the crank shaft. The cylinder is held against the valve plate by a holding yoke extending from the frame around a cylinder plate flange and carrying a roller abutting an outer face on the cylinder plate flange. Preferably, a second cylinder and appurtenances duplicate the first cylinder arrangement, the holding yoke being symmetrically extended to balance forces on the frame and preferably being repeated above the below the pivot connection. A mechanism similar to a Stephenson link connects a throttling and reversing valve in a steam supply and conduit.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAR 1 31m SHEET 3 [1F 3 we. X

OSCILLATING STEAM ENGINE While the design and construction of steam engines has progressed for many years and although the oscillating style of steam engine is well known, there is still adequate room for improvement in the layout and construction thereof with respect particularly to the manner of associating the oscillating cylinders with stationary portions of the engine or frame.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide, in an oscillating steam engine, an improved interrelationship between the oscillating cylinders and the stationary frame.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in an oscillating steam engine, a retaining means for the oscillating cylinder which will operate well and satisfactorily over a long period of time without substantial requirement of service.

A further object of the invention is to provide in an oscillating steam engine a means for retaining the oscillating cylinder in position yet allowing some leeway of flexibility in its mounting to take care of variations in dimensions due to variations in temperature and the like.

A further object of the invention is to provide an oscillating steam engine having a particular cylinder mounting in which the forces for mounting a number of cylinders tend to offset each other.

An additional object of the invention is to provide an oscillating steam engine having a mounting which can quite readily be fabricated and replaced.

A further object of the invention is to provide a satisfactory and simple manner of reversing the direction of rotation of the engine.

A still further object of the invention is in general to provide an improved oscillating steam engine.

Other objects of the invention together with the foregoing are attained in the embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan of an oscillating steam engine constructed pursuant to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the engine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross section on transverse, vertical planes, indicated generally by the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view in side elevation of a cylinder and cylinder plate, the view being taken approximately in the plane of the line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a view showing a valve plate and some of its pertinent structure with the cylinder and cylinder plate removed therefrom, certain portions of the view being in cross section on a central, vertical plane.

In the particular embodiment of the oscillating steam engine disclosed herein, there is provided a general framework 6 comprised of a number of separate parts joined together to afford not only much of an enclosed housing 7 but also inclusive of a transverse wall 8. Secured to the upper portion of the wall are frame rods 9 and secured to the lower portion of the wall are frame rods 11. All the rods relate a valve plate 12 to the frame. Extending from the plate 8 substantially in the vertical planes of the individual rods 9 and 11, are support lugs 14 in which is journalled a crank shaft 16 carrying crank discs 17 and 18. The crank shaft also includes a central drive gear 19 in peripheral engagement with a driven gear 21 in a differential mechanism 22 suitably supported on the framework 6 for rotation parallel to the rotational axis of the crank shaft 16. Customarily, appropriate drive transmitting members are engaged with the differential structure 22 but these are not illustrated herein since they do not affect the steam engine itself.

Extending from one of the crank discs 17 is a crank pin 26, whereas extending from the other crank disc 18 is a similar crank pin 27, the two crank pins 26 and 27 being disposed at to each other.

The crank pin 26 is engaged by a journal 28 at one end of a piston rod 29 extending to a piston 31 at the other end of the piston rod 29. The piston is reciprocable within a double-ended cylinder 32, the piston rod extending through a packing gland 33. Similarly, the crank pin 27 is engaged by a journal 34 at one end of a piston rod 36 extending through a packing gland 37 and coupled to a piston 38 reciprocable within a cylinder 39. The cylinders are substantially identical in construction so that a description of one applies equally to the other. For example, the packing gland 37 is mounted in a cylinder head 41 in axial line with another cylinder head 42. The two cylinder heads embrace a cylinder barrel 43 held in position with respect thereto by stay rods 44.

The barrel 43 is not only circular cylindrical in interior configuration but is largely so externally except that the cylinder barrel has extensions 46 and 47. These are preferably integral with the cylinder barrel, and constitute flanges extending opposite to each other and away from the center line of the cylinder. The flanges in effect constitute a plate terminating in an approximately vertical, planar face 51. The face 51 is designed to abut against a similar planar face 52 formed on one of the sides of the central valve plate 12.

The mounting of the cylinder barrel 43 with respect to the valve plate 12 is accomplished by a pivot boss 53 extending from the valve plate and rotatably disposed within a corresponding socket 54 in the cylinder plate, the transverse axis of the pivot being disposed substantially to intersect the central axis of the cylinder 43. The axis of the pivot is approximately midway between the ends of the cylinder barrel 43 so that with this mounting, the cylinder is able to oscillate about the axis of the pivot boss 53.

In order that the cylinder plate 46 will be held in close abutment to the valve plate 12 but still allowing sufficient running clearance, I provide a yoke member 61 fastened on or integral with the valve plate 12. In the present instance, the yoke member 61 is a separate piece secured in proper location by a removable fastener 62. The yoke member 61 adjacent the plate 46 is provided with an axle pin 63 removably held in position and rather loosely confined within a bore in the yoke member 61. The pin 63 is somewhat flexible and tends to lie away from one side of the bore through which it is disposed. At one end, the pin 63 carries a roller 64 freely rotatable thereon and adapted to abut an exterior, flat surface 66 on the cylinder flange 46. An adjustment screw 67 is provided for slightly springing the pin 63. Thus the amount of pressure exerted by the roller 64 against the outside of the extension or flange 46 can be varied and thus the contact relationship between the surface of the cylinder plate 46 and the surface of the valve plate 12 can be regulated.

In a comparable fashion, the valve plate 12 below the pivot also carries a similar yoke 71 having a roller 72 similarly mounted thereon and pressing against the lower flange 47 of the cylinder plate. Substantially equal forces are exerted on both sides of the pivot to hold the cylinder plate against the valve plate for oscillation about the pivot 53.

Quite comparably, the cylinder barrel 32 is constructed .with appropriate flanges 76 and 77 defining a cylinder plate and has a comparable pivot mounting 78. The parts are held together by duplicate rollers 79 and 81 on symmetrical arms 82 and 83 preferably integral with and extending from yoke members 61 and 71. In this fashion, both the cylinders are appropriately mounted so that when the crank shaft rotates and the pistons reciprocate, the cylinders oscillate about the axis of the pivots 53 and 78. The cylinder plates move in appropriate oscillating and rubbing relationship with the opposite faces of the central cylinder plate 12.

Means are provided for utilizing the relative pivotal motion between the several cylinders and the central valve plate for governing and timing the admission and release of motive fluid such as steam to and from the cylinders. As particularly shown in FIG. 4, not only does each of the cylinder plates have an opening 54 to receive the central pivot 53, but in addition, each of the cylinder plates, preferably on the level of the center line, likewise has at each end an individual port 86 and 87 opening through the face of the plate and into the cylinder near the adjacent end.

correspondingly, as particularly shown in FIG. 5, the valve plate 12 in addition to having the pivots 53 and 78 projecting centrally therefrom likewise is provided on each side with a pair of ports 88 and 89 at one end and a similar pair of ports 91 and 92 at the other end. The ports 88 and 91 are connected by an internal passage 93 within the valve plate which emerges to a connector 94 adjacent the top thereof. comparably, the ports 89 and 92 are connected to an internal passageway 96 emerging from the plate 12 into a connector 97 thereon adjacent the bottom.

As each cylinder plate oscillates about the center of its respective central pivot in abutment with the valve plate 12, the ports 86 and 87 of each cylinder alternately open to and are isolated from the corresponding or respective ports 88 and 89 near one end and ports 91 and 92 near the other. If, for example, the ports 88 and 91 and the passage 93 and its connector 94 are connected to a source of steam under pressure while the ports 89 and 92 and the intervening passage 96 and the connector 97 are connected to an exhaust for steam, then as the cylinders oscillate they are, through the ports 86 at one end and the ports 87 at the other end alternately connected to a steam supply and to a steam exhaust. The port arrangement is such that the steam supply is connected to each end of each cylinder when the piston therein makes the volume at that end small. The engine is driven by expansion of the so-admitted fluid in the proper direction. Upon the return piston stroke, when the piston makes the volume large, the ports come into position to discharge or release spent steam from the cylinder to the exhaust. The pressure of the steam tends to force the cylinders off of the pivots but the force is resisted by the rollers, such as 64 and the yokes, such as 61. The opposite forces on the rollers 64 and 79, for example are largely balanced in the yoke structure and so are not largely transmitted to the frame.

The foregoing port arrangement is effective with appropriate timing to drive the engine in a particular, predetermined direction depending upon the pressure of the fluid or steam within the passages 93 and 96; that is, depending upon which passage has superior pressure and which passage has inferior pressure. For one relative pressure condition, the engine operates in one direction of rotation. If it is desired to reverse the direction of rotation, then it is necessary to alter the pressure relationship of the fluids within the respective passages 93 and 96. Means are provided for that purpose.

As especially shown in FIG. 5, the connectors 94 and 97 are suitably joined through ducts 98 and 99 with a valve housing 101 carrying a valve sleeve 102 therein. This sleeve has appropriate ports such as 103 and 104 therein affording communication with the passages 96 and 93. The sleeve is clamped in position against the two heads of the housing 101. Designed to reciprocate within the sleeve is a hollow piston valve 106 having heads 107 and 108 adapted, as the piston reciprocates, to afford communication between the respective ports 103 and 104 and the housing interior either around the outside of the central tube 109 of the piston or with the interior of the piston tube 111.

The housing 101 has an inlet port 112 connected to a suitable source of steam under pressure or other actuating fluid. Also the housing has an exhaust port 113 connected to a point of discharge at low pressure of steam or other actuating fluid. Thus, when the piston 106 is moved into one extreme position then the inlet port 112 is connected around the outside of the piston tube 109 to the port 104 while at the same time the port 103 is directly connected to an interior passage in the piston tube 111 and so to the discharge port 113. When the piston valve is in its opposite extreme position, as shown by the dotted lines, then the inlet port 112 is connected around the outside of the piston tube 109 to the port 103 while the port 104 is connected through the hollow piston tube 109 to the discharge port 113.

Special reversing means are provided for translating the control valve from one extreme position to the other. Connected to the piston is a stem 116. The connection is by means of a fastening pin 117 extending through the stem 1 l6 and through appropriate ears 118 on the end of the piston tube 109. The stem 116 extends through a packing gland 119 to preclude excessive leakage and has an accommodating connection to one arm of a bell crank 121 supported by a pivot pin 122 on an extension 123 of the main frame 12 or, more particularly, of the valve plate incorporated therewith. The other arm 124 of the bell crank is joined by a radius rod 126 to an arcuately slotted link 127, comparable to a Stephenson link. The radius rod 126 is freely movable about a pivot pin 128 at one end thereof so that a sliding pin 129 in the other end thereof can readily traverse the arcuate slot 127.

The instantaneous arcuate position of the pin 129 is governed by a bell crank 131 also having a pivot 132 connecting it to the extension 123 and at one end carrying a pair of guides 134 and 136 lying on opposite sides of the radius rod 126. The other arm of the bell crank 131 is connected by a pivot 137 to a control rod 138. The control rod in one position, as shown in FIG. 5, so positions the bell crank 131 that the guides 134 and 136 hold the radius rod 126 in its lowermost position effective to partake of the motion of the lower end of the Stephenson link 127. When the rod 138 is moved to its opposite extreme position, as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 5, then the radius rod 126 is lifted to its uppermost position between the guides 134 and 136 and partakes of motion of the upper end of the Stephenson link. 1

The Stephenson link itself is fastened to the extension 123 by a central pivot 139 and its motion is controlled by a rod 141 joined thereto by a pivot connection 142. The position of the rod 141 from left to right governs the amount that the piston valve 109 is moved away from its extreme positions and governs the amount that the piston valve lands 107 and 108 overlie the ports 103 and 104 and thus serves as a throttle. That is, movement of the rod 141 to and fro or back and forth governs the amount of such opening and governs the area for admission of steam to the oscillating engine but likewise governs the area available for the release or exhaust of steam from the engine.

At the same time and without interfering with the particular throttle position, the engine can readily be reversed by operating the rod 138. That is, if the piston valve 109 is in a position to impose steam pressure in the passage 93 and correspondingly at the ports 91 and 88, then when the rod 138 is moved to its opposite extreme position and the radius rod 126 is also moved to its opposite extreme position, the piston valve 109 is repositioned so that the passageway 96 becomes the pressure steam passage and the passage 93 then becomes the exhaust passage, consequently reversing the engine. This operation, of course, can take place at any timeregardless of the instantaneous position of the throttle so that even though the engine may be operating without substantial steam restriction, it can be fully reversed or, if the engine is operating at a very small throttle opening, it still can be instantly reversed and can be reversed at any intermediate position of the piston valve acting as a throttle. It is thus apparent that the piston valve has two functions, one as a throttle and the other as a reversing instrumentality. In either position, the appropriate ports are afforded steam at a proper time to supply impulses to the opposite ends of the cylinders and the remaining ports then take on the function of exhaust ports. The engine can be fully controlled without other valve gear.

Since the pressure of the steam tends to dislodge the cylinders from their pivots, the effect of the various roltclylinder plate united with said cylinder and having a ange outstanding therefrom wlth a planar surface adapted to abut said planar face, a crankshaft journalled in said frame, a piston rod journalled on said crankshaft and extending into said cylinder, a piston fast on said piston rod and reciprocably engaging said cylinder, a pivot connection between said cylinder plate and said valve plate adjacent the center of said cylinder plate and disposed parallel to said crankshaft and normal to said planar face and said planar surface,

- means holding said cylinder plate and said valve plate in abutment including a yoke extending from said frame, and a roller mounted on said yoke and engaging said flange on a side opposite said planar surface.

2. An oscillating steam engine as in claim 1 in which said flange extends in one direction from said pivot connection, a duplicate flange extends in an opposite direction from said pivot connection, a duplicate yoke extends from said frame, and a roller means mounted on said duplicate yoke engages said duplicate flange on a side opposite said planar surface.

3. An oscillating steam engine as in claim 1 in which said valve plate is planar on opposite sides, said cylinder is on one side of said valve plate, a second cylinder is on the other side of said valve plate, a second planar cylinder plate is united to said second cylinder and has a flange outstanding therefrom, a second piston rod is journalled on said crankshaft and extends into said second cylinder, a second piston on said second piston rod reciprocably engages said second cylinder, a second pivot connection extends between said second cylinder plate and the opposite side of the valve plate, said yoke extends from said frame to the sides of said cylinder plates away from said valve plate, and a duplicate roller for said second cylinder exerts a force on said second cylinder plate opposite the force exerted on said flange by said roller.

4. In an oscillating steam engine. as in claim 3, means for varying the force with which said rollers engage said flanges. 

1. An oscillating steam engine comprising a frame including a valve plate having a planar face, a cylinder, a cylinder plate united with said cylinder and having a flange outstanding therefrom with a planar surface adapted to abut said planar face, a crankshaft journalled in said frame, a piston rod journalled on said crankshaft and extending into said cylinder, a piston fast on said piston rod and reciprocably engaging said cylinder, a pivot connection between said cylinder plate and said valve plate adjacent the center of said cylinder plate and disposed parallel to said crankshaft and normal to said planar face and said planar surface, means holding said cylinder plate and said valve plate in abutment including a yoke extending from said frame, and a roller mounted on said yoke and engaging said flange on a side opposite said planar surface.
 1. An oscillating steam engine comprising a frame including a valve plate having a planar face, a cylinder, a cylinder plate united with said cylinder and having a flange outstanding therefrom with a planar surface adapted to abut said planar face, a crankshaft journalled in said frame, a piston rod journalled on said crankshaft and extending into said cylinder, a piston fast on said piston rod and reciprocably engaging said cylinder, a pivot connection between said cylinder plate and said valve plate adjacent the center of said cylinder plate and disposed parallel to said crankshaft and normal to said planar face and said planar surface, means holding said cylinder plate and said valve plate in abutment including a yoke extending from said frame, and a roller mounted on said yoke and engaging said flange on a side opposite said planar surface.
 2. An oscillating steam engine as in claim 1 in which said flange extends in one direction from said pivot connection, a duplicate flange extends in an opposite direction from said pivot connection, a duplicate yoke extends from said frame, and a roller means mounted on said duplicate yoke engages said duplicate flange on a side opposite said planar surface.
 3. An oscillating steam engine as in claim 1 in which said valve plate is planar on opposite sides, said cylinder is on one side of said valve plate, a second cylinder is on the other side of said valve plate, a second planar cylinder plate is united to said second cylinder and has a flange outstanding therefrom, a second piston rod is journalled on said crankshaft and extends into said second cylinder, a second piston on said second piston rod reciprocably engages said second cylinder, a second pivot conNection extends between said second cylinder plate and the opposite side of the valve plate, said yoke extends from said frame to the sides of said cylinder plates away from said valve plate, and a duplicate roller for said second cylinder exerts a force on said second cylinder plate opposite the force exerted on said flange by said roller. 